


Smoke

by Somewhat_Inspired



Category: Rio (2011), Rio (Movies - Saldanha)
Genre: Character Turned Into a Ghost, Don't Read This, Fear, Fire, How Do I Tag, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Searching, crap I just spoiled everything, frantic - Freeform, i'll shut up now, it was predictable anyway, nevermind, oh well, originally written in 2012, please just read it, probably not that good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-30
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-11-21 09:17:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11354436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somewhat_Inspired/pseuds/Somewhat_Inspired
Summary: When the Rio rainforest burns down in a devastating fire, Nico wakes up all alone and seemingly unharmed.





	Smoke

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, guys! So, I wrote this back when I was like 13, so I apologize with how bad this thing probably is. However, somehow this got a pretty good amount of reviews on it on Fanfiction.net before it had to be reposted, so...hopefully someone on here will like it, too.

      "PEDRO! CAN YOU HEAR ME?! SAY SOMETHING!"

      Another muffled response. Nico thought he heard it coming from a mango tree a few yards away that miraculously hadn't yet been swallowed by flames. The small canary quickly flew over to where he heard the muffled scream.

      "PEDRO! YOU IN THERE?!"

      A crackling noise filled the area and Nico looked down, only to find the ground a few feet from the mango tree's trunk shooting up in flames. It was also getting more difficult to breathe with each passing second.

      Nico began to cough again and somehow managed to yell, "PEDRO! (cough) D-Don't worry, I- (cough) I'm comin'….(cough, cough)…"

      Nico desperately began searching any area that Pedro could have hid (possible or not) on the mango tree. By now, the rainforest around and on the tree's trunk was completely bathed in a fatal ocean.

      Fearing the worst happened to Pedro, Nico landed on a top branch in a tree further away from the mango tree and started a major coughing fit. By now he was not only covered with a few burns, but also could hardly breathe and was dangerously close to blacking out from smoke inhalation.

      Nico mustered up what willpower and breath he had and screamed, **"PEDRO!"**

* * *

      Nico regained conscience and sat up. He glanced around, stunned at the sight around him. The formally beautiful Rio rainforest was now in ruins. What used to be ground foliage was now ash and debris covering the ground. Where majestic trees had once stood, there were scorched piles of lumber and sticks. The fire had spared nothing.

_Apparently it spared_ me, Nico thought as he looked down at himself. Much to his surprise, there were no cuts, bruises, or burns on his body. In fact, there were no traces of him being in a devastating fire at all.

_Wait, that doesn't make sense…I should be_ covered _in burns…._ Nico's train of thought was interrupted when he heard a voice in the distance. Curious, he rose into the air and flew towards the speaker. As Nico got closer, he could hear the voice better. It sounded very familiar.

     He flew closer for a clearer view of the bird. It had its back turned to him, but he could still see the red markings and round body. The bird was holding something shiny in its wings and looking down at some sort of stone. Nico recognized the bird seconds later and joyfully cried out, "Pedro!"

* * *

      Nico flew down to the cardinal. "Pedro! Where have you been, bird? Man, I thought you were _dead!_ "

      Pedro didn't respond. Instead, he kept looking at that stone.

      Assuming his friend didn't hear him, Nico tried again. "Pedro?"

      No answer.

_That's odd.._ Nico thought. _I thought he'd practically be jumping for joy to see me…_

      Nico stepped in front of Pedro and waved his left wing in front of the larger bird's face. When he _still_ got no reply, he waved both of his wings and said, "Hel- _lo_ , anybody home? C'mon, Pedro, this isn't funny."

      Suddenly, Pedro said, "Nico….I'm sorry….I should've made sure you knew where I was….you wouldn't have gone back…"

      Nico's face shifted into a frown. "What?"

      The cardinal continued as if Nico hadn't spoken at all. "I should've looked behind me more often….made sure you were still there….but I didn't, and you turned back….it's my fault you're gone…."

      Fear began to well up inside Nico. Why was Pedro acting like this? The canary grabbed Pedro's shoulders and said, "Pedro, I'm right here! What's wrong? Why aren't you answering?"

      "Oh, and Nico? We found your bottle cap. It was covered in some ash near your-er, nearby." Pedro revealed the shiny thing in his wings to be Nico's old bottle cap. "We thought you'd like it back."

      Nico let go of his friend's shoulders and smiled. Maybe Pedro _had_ noticed him all along. He gently reached for the blue and green bottle cap. "Thanks, Pedro. I've been missin' the thing."

      He almost had it when suddenly Pedro bent down. The cardinal bent right through him as if he weren't there! Nico watched in shock as his friend placed his beloved bottle cap on the ground in front of the small stone.

      Pedro stood back up (once again phasing right through the canary) and smiled sadly at the stone. "You and all those other birds sleep well, OK?" The cardinal then turned his back and was about to fly away when he shot the stone a backward glance and said, "Bye, Nico."

      Nico watched as Pedro flew away. Then those last words came back and hit him. _Bye? Just like that? And for what?_

      Suddenly Nico remembered something else. " _Other_ birds?" he murmured to himself. Realizing something, he twirled around and glanced around. There were small stones similar to the one Pedro had been looking at everywhere. With closer inspections, Nico noticed that they all had engravings on them.

      Nico froze when he realized that this wasn't just a yard full of stones. This was a _bird_ _graveyard_ , and those engravings were the names and other phrases of likely all the birds that died in the fire.

      This led him to another terrible conclusion. Hesitantly, he glanced down at the stone Pedro had been standing in front of. He nearly fainted when the engraving confirmed his suspicion. It read:

_Nico_

_Friend, performer, samba lover, brother_

_You will always be in our hearts._

**Author's Note:**

> The sequel to this, which is titled "Into the Wind", is on my Fanfiction account (Firewrxx) if anyone's interested, but it's staying on just there since I didn't think it was good enough to repost here. Anyway, thanks for reading!


End file.
